ok in most cases everyone puts moist verm on the bottom then the substrate then more verm....... ok well i read up on a method where it sounds like it be better 1 on the bottom 1/4 inch of water 2 then 1 inch of perlite 3 then the substrate 4 then 1 inch of verm ok this sounds like it would keep the caseing more moist and sounds like an additional flush or 2 my question is would the substrate on top of the perlite cause any harm? and do you think this caseing method would be good?
Somebody gave you terrible advice. First, only put the casing layer on top, as that is where fruiting occurs. With it on the bottom, things might come out alright, but it probably won't help any. Second, don't ever use perlite in a casing because it doesn't absorb water; perlite has a lot of surface area for the water to lay on, so it works well for humidifying a terrarium, but you don't want it to actually touch your substrate. Go to shroomery.org, look up the 50/50 casing tek, and follow that. Basically, follow a ratio of 10 vermiculite, 10 pete moss, 1 calcium carbonate or something to that extent and layer it approximately 1/4" - 3/4" thick. A whole inch is probably too much. If you can't find any pete moss, then just use straight vermiculite. Casing is probably more difficult than any other aspect to learn, in my opinion. don't let it deter you if you fail or only achieve mediocre results the first few times, because it will eventually pay off in the end in your legal, edible mushroom cultivation hobby.
I always use a 50/50 peat moss (sifted) verm mix with calcium carbonate as a buffer to 7 pH. Nothing on bottom. Just creates more contam issues when you re-colonize the casing.
ok so when i case i mash my cakes up and put that evenly on the bottom of the tin and then put 1 inch of verm or 50-50 (verm/ peat moss)?
